Due to the intentionally vague language used in the terms of service what is or isn’t a violation of said terms is a matter of interpretation, as it is meant to be. Next i will elaborate on my interpretation of the terms of service and how it relates to the actions of the seals. Towards the end I will explain my own interest in the matter.
- Disrupting or assisting in the disruption of any computer used to support the Platform or any Game environment. ANY ATTEMPT BY YOU TO DISRUPT THE PLATFORM OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF ANY GAME MAY BE A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS.
The above in my opinion quite clearly relates to what you might broadly describe as hacking and similar actions. Which is not what they’re doing. They are acting within what is possible inside the game, whether that is intentional design on Blizzard’s part or not. The platform itself is not being undermined, and what they are doing is as a matter of fact part of the legitimate operation of the game.
- Harassment, “griefing,” abusive behavior or chat, conduct intended to unreasonably undermine or disrupt the Game experiences of others, deliberate inactivity or disconnecting, and/or any other activity which violates Blizzard’s Codes of Conduct or In-Game Policies."
Again, the vague language is intentional, but the key word here is unreasonable. Do their actions unreasonably undermine or disrupt your experience? Let us begin with what the experience in question is then. This is how Blizzard described the event:
During this event, killing players will allow you to earn currency which can be traded for various rewards. While you can still group-up with your allies for the event, the Blood Moon is a harsh mistress and will punish those in raid groups.
For those who would rather live in peace and harmony with the land, you can opt out of the event by speaking with the Zandalari Emissary. You will not be able to earn any rewards from the event if you opt out and general realm PvP rules will still apply.
Unlike in the Ashenvale PvP event, there will not be any PvP objectives in Stranglethorn Vale’s event. You will also need to keep a sharp eye out for the Chosen of the Blood Loa who is more than a force to be reckoned with and will kill all in their path.
As for the boss it is only mentioned in passing as something dangerous you need to watch out for. The focus quite clearly is on killing players, and the only mention of the experience of those opting out is that they will not be able to earn any rewards. Furthermore, it explicitly states that unlike Ashenvale, there are no objectives, i.e. boss killing.
So as far as what the expected experience might be I think it is quite clear that the main focus is most certainly not on the boss, it is PVP. So are the accused undermining or disrupting your PVP experience to an unreasonable degree? I would think not, seeing as they are fighting an NPC out in the ocean, far away from any other player.
One could definitely argue that the rewards are part of the experience, and that kiting the boss does negatively impact your ability to earn those rewards. But is it really an unsreasonable undermining or disruption of your experience that the boss is not in the exact place where you would expect it to be?
Someone doing something which results in your expectations not being met does in my opinion not constitute as an unreasonable undermining or disruption of your experience. You can still fight the boss, you can still fight other players near the boss, none of the core features of the event are being withheld from you as a result of the actions of the players in question.
Well they don’t.
So then, what is my own interest in this topic? I don’t play with the guild in question, or even on the same server, although I have played on the same server as some of them at one point, on the opposite faction.
I quite simply despise the all too common attitude in this community that everything is just a farm, and the only thing that matters is that the farm in question is done as efficiently as possible in order for one to not have to do it again. Is a battleground taking too long? Let them win, my rep per hour is going down. Is the STV boss not in a convenient spot? Ban them, my coins per event is going down.
What the seals in my opinion are doing is creating content. They are adding to the existing experience by making themselves part of it as villains, a common enemy for both factions. This could be a fun thing, the alliance and the horde could cooperate to defeat this common enemy. That would be a far more memorable experience for all involved than going to the Gurubashi arena and spamming whatever AOE ability you have.
But instead you go on the forum asking for them to get banned, so you can mindlessly farm your coins. The seals are having fun, they are creating memorable experiences for themselves, and if anyone actually could be arsed they could also get some memorable experiences out of this. But the people complaining don’t want memorable experiences, or fun, the just want to be done with the game.
